Stay One Night to Earn a Free Night at Country Inns & Suites

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

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“Stay One Night, Get 15,000 Bonus Gold Points.”

That’s the headline on the landing page for a new Country Inns & Suites promotion. The ad copy continues, enthusing that 15,000 Gold Points are enough for a free night at “select Country Inns & Suites hotels.”

So, buy one, get one free?

Too good to be true, I thought. There must be onerous requirements on the earning side, or significant restrictions on the rewards side.

There are indeed some restrictions. But this is still a pretty rich offer.

Offer Details

Between October 3 and November 21, members of the goldpoints plus program can earn 15,000 bonus Gold Points after completing one paid weekday night (Sunday through Thursday) at any of almost 500 Country Inns & Suites hotels in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, or Panama.

In addition to the 15,000-point bonus, goldpoints plus members receive a T.G.I.Friday’s voucher good for a free appetizer with the purchase of an adult entree. And as a regular matter, program members earn 15 points per dollar spend on their qualifying stay, plus 1,000 bonus points for booking on the hotel’s website (2,000 for elite members).

So, assuming a $100 room rate, a non-elite goldpoints plus member will earn 17,500 points, plus a free appetizer, for a single night’s stay.

Qualifying stays require a three-day advance booking.

The bonus may only be earned once.

Deal or No Deal

The positives:

Bonus is enough for a free night at around 120 hotels in North America; six in Latin America and the Caribbean; six in Europe and the Middle East; and 10 in the Asia-Pacific region. Or it could be banked and used toward higher-priced award nights
Almost 500 hotels available to earn bonus
Country Inns & Suites offers good value, including free breakfast and Internet access

The negatives:

Friday/Saturday-night stays don’t qualify
Short promotion duration
Bonus may only be earned once per member

Bottom line: This compares favorably to any of the numerous hotel bonuses currently on offer, and may be as generous a promotion as you’re likely to see.

Reader Reality Check

If you come across a richer offer, let us know.

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.

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